The warm spring night and the passionate lovemaking of the three deepened their bond.
The next morning, Lü Tu woke up naturally and went out to find Kuishan Village deserted.
They finally managed to catch a little boy and asked, "Where are the villagers?"
"Greetings, Lord Lü! Everyone has gone to the drill ground to collect their rations. Thank you, Lord Lü!"
Listening to the little boy's words, Lü Tu was a little puzzled, because he hadn't mentioned distributing grain yesterday.
Riding my little black bike towards the training ground, I could see from afar that it wasn't just the villagers of Kuishan Village, but also the villagers of Daozhuang Village and Luzhuang Village gathered there. Even the migrants who only received food for working hadn't started working yet.
A high platform had been erected in the middle of the crowd, and Xiao Zhong was standing on it, speaking eloquently.
Lu Tu forced himself to go over without interrupting him. He also wanted to see what kind of skills this political genius, who was highly regarded by Master Nangong Huiyu, possessed.
Xiao Zhong was speaking passionately at this moment: "You have no idea how miserable the people in other villages are. On my way here, tsk tsk tsk, it was so miserable. Young girls walking on the road were taken advantage of on the spot."
"ah?"
"Don't even mention girls, even a young man your age," Xiao Zhong said, pointing to Liu Hu not far away, "if he had any delicate skin, I'd even go for him!"
"Whoa!"
"Therefore, we should all unite like garlic cloves, serving Lord Lü wholeheartedly, so that his kindness to us will not be in vain. From now on..."
Lu Tu was speechless. He had thought this genius of domestic affairs would offer some insightful anecdotes, but it turned out to be nothing more than threats and intimidation.
But you know what? The more than one thousand villagers and refugees present were mostly illiterate, so they were more accepting of this method.
And through Lü Tu's observation, apart from Nie Yun and Liu Hong, he really frightened the villagers, who all vowed to stay here from now on and not go anywhere else except when Lü Tu gave the order.
At this moment, Xiao Zhong changed the subject: "That's why Lord Lü specially invited me here yesterday, in order to lead everyone to a better life. Lord Lü said that as long as everyone is united in the future, he will distribute grain to everyone!"
"Distribute grain! Distribute grain!"
"Lord Lü, you are truly our second parents! My father never treated me this well when he was alive; he often beat me."
"Lord Lü is a living bodhisattva! He distributes food to us without a second thought. You are the greatest benefactor in the world!"
Lu Tu was now in a difficult position and couldn't back down. He could only smile and nod at everyone, saying, "From now on, as long as everyone works hard, I'll have food to eat, and everyone else will have food to eat! From now on, except for military operations, you must obey Xiao Zhong's orders!"
"Long live Lord Lü!"
In an instant, shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" resounded throughout the entire training ground.
Even Lu Tu couldn't stop him. At that moment, he suddenly saw Xiao Zhong grinning at him, looking cunning and sly.
Next came the time to fulfill the promise. Lü Tu had Liu Yang lead men to distribute one jin of grain to everyone, thus giving away more than 1,000 jin of grain for no apparent reason.
At this moment, Xiao Zhong quietly approached Lü Tu, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "I admire Lord Lü greatly, and from now on I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"
Lu Tu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you testing me?"
"I have traveled the world for many years and have seen many people who claim to have lofty ambitions, but most of them are just all show and no substance. Only Lord Lü truly has the demeanor of a wise ruler. His magnanimity is so great that Xiao Zhong is in awe of him!"
Xiao Zhong was speaking from the heart. He had previously used all the villagers to put Lü Tu on a moral high ground, using this to test Lü Tu.
“I know that Lord Lü may not believe what I’m saying. Just now, I deliberately used the villagers to coerce you, but you not only didn’t get angry, but you also publicly acknowledged the legality of my actions and granted me power. How can I not admire you?”
To be honest, Lu Tu wasn't actually angry. The food was meant for everyone to eat. He just didn't understand why Xiao Zhong did this.
Now that Xiao Zhong has taken the lead in admitting his mistake, he naturally gives him face: "Mr. Xiao is a man of profound thought. It is truly my blessing to meet you, Mr. Lü Tu."
Xiao Zhong suddenly knelt down in front of Lü Tu and said firmly, "I have studied for many years but have never met a wise ruler. Today I have met Lord Lü, and this is my good fortune! The grain that I have distributed on your behalf today will be returned tenfold within three months!"
Lu Tu looked down at Xiao Zhong, who was quite old and had tears in his eyes, and quickly helped him up: "Mr. Xiao, you don't need to be so polite. Since you are Xiao Yu's junior brother, you are one of us from now on. It's already very kind of you to come and help me."
Xiao Zhong wiped his eyes with his sleeve and smiled, "Lord Lü, now that I have pledged my allegiance to you, I would like to clarify one thing: what is our ultimate goal?"
Lu Tu gave him a deep look and said, "That's exactly what you're thinking."
Xiao Zhong's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Is this true?"
"really."
"I understand! Lord Lü truly possesses extraordinary talent. My observation today reveals that your idea of standardizing cart tracks is very insightful. This not only improves transportation efficiency but also strengthens the connections between the villages. I intend to continue to refine your approach."
Lu Tu patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, then go and do it."
Xiao Zhong was not a talkative person. After receiving the order, he plunged into the crowd of refugees.
Lu Tu then arrived at the military slave shack where Liu Hong was. Liu Hong ran over to greet him from a distance, saying, "Thank you for the medicine, Lord Lu. The brothers' conditions have improved a lot!"
Looking around, most people's complexions were indeed much better than yesterday, indicating that their lung infections were not serious.
At this moment, they all knelt down with a clatter, the slave soldiers looking at Lü Tu with excited expressions: "Brother Liu Hong has already told us that we will never forget your life-saving grace, and from now on we will serve you like dogs and horses!"
Lu Tu helped the soldiers in front of him up: "From now on, you will no longer be soldiers. During this time, you will help cut down trees and build houses. You will live here from now on. Once you recover, you will join my army."
"Thank you, sir!"
The 200 men had resolute expressions. Although they were all emaciated, Lu Tu, as a special forces king, could tell that they were all veterans.
Veterans are the soul of an army; they not only significantly improve the survival rate of soldiers, but also possess unwavering willpower.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the courage to take up a pickaxe and fight against the Wuhuan people after being tortured in the coal mine for several months.
"Lord Lü, have you forgotten about me? What happened to the beautiful wife you promised?"
Lu Tu turned around and saw that it was Hu Delu, who was staring at him with a resentful look on his face like a young widow. He slapped his forehead and said, "It's my fault, it's my fault, how could I forget about you?"
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